Amid violence and drug use, broken homes and failing schools, kids in the Washington region are in need of positive role models as much as ever — perhaps more than ever. Paul Bliss, president and chief executive officers of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area, works every day to make sure those relationships happen and thrive. Bliss, 50, was recently named the national organization’s CEO of the year. He shared with The Washington Examiner by e-mail thoughts on his faith, and the career that faith has inspired.
Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?
I am very thankful to be a Roman Catholic.
The Catholic Church has had and continues to have a profound influence on my life and personal development. Catholic social teachings challenge me, and other Catholics, to fulfill our duty to support the well-being of others — especially the poor and vulnerable. My Catholic faith is my personal navigation system for life, and although it may be easy to get lost in daily struggles, I have a strong mentor in Jesus Christ.
Did anyone or any event especially influence your faith or your path in life? How so?
Being from a large Irish-Catholic family of seven, my parents had a strong faith in God and unconditional love for their children. My parents inculcated strong religious and family values and made supreme sacrifices to ensure that all of their children attended Catholic schools and universities. My parents had faith in all of us, and we developed faith in ourselves. This, in turn, helped to shape our own religious faith.
My trajectory to social justice was first shaped by Bob Kaeding, a progressive priest at St. John Vianney High School [in Holmdel, N.J.]. During Christian service projects to help the homeless and missionary trips to Appalachia, my eyes were opened to community needs and the small role I could play to help others improve their lives.
Along the way, I have been inspired by Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement, as well as Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, and his quest for faith in God.
To what extent does your organization depend upon faith communities?
Today two of our most successful programs rely upon faith communities. Our Mentoring Children of Prisoners program engages people of faith to mentor children whose parents have been incarcerated. Studies have shown that about 75 percent of children in these family circumstances will someday follow their parents or guardians to prison unless there is a positive intervention. Our Hermanos y Hermanas Mayores initiative unites Latino children with bilingual mentors. Local Catholic churches play a role in fostering a sense of trust between immigrant families and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Your organization could not survive without its many volunteers. What is your advice for people who say, “I just don’t have the time”?
Children in the Washington region face problems today that we would never have imagined when we were younger.
Although Big Brothers Big Sisters is a nonsectarian organization, I believe over 90 percent of our certified volunteers have been compelled by their faith to take part in our one-to-one mentoring. A Big Brother or Big Sister is someone who has succeeded in life and cares enough to pass these important lessons on to children whose odds are stacked against them.
It only takes a few hours a couple of times a month to make a big difference. You don’t have to change your life to change a child’s life.
At your core, what is one of your defining beliefs?
My core Catholic belief can be summed up in two words — human dignity. I believe we are made in God’s image and that every individual, from conception to natural death, has the right to a life of dignity and respect.
– Leah Fabel
